


Carnival

by freckledandspectacled



Series: Prompt List #1 [10]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Adopted Children, American Sign Language, Carnival, Comfort, First Kiss, For Oswald at Least, Kissing, Love at First Sight, M/M, mute character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 10:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12838851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledandspectacled/pseuds/freckledandspectacled
Summary: 2. “Please don’t cry. I can’t stand to see you cry”





	Carnival

**Author's Note:**

> For Edward’s sign name, my intent was to combine the sign for ‘mystery’ with the letter ‘e’. (Mister E.) Martin is so clever…

Martin wasn’t the type to wander off, but he had just this once. His father had taken him to the carnival for fun and games, but he’d quickly been lured away by the eccentric man in the puzzle booth. He was slipping handcuffs, solving Rubik’s cubes in less than thirty seconds, challenging his contestants to enter to win and attempt to beat him at his own games. It was when he juggled and solved three Rubik’s cubes at once that Martin had let go of his father’s hand and investigated further. There was quite the crowd gathered around the green-sequined entertainer, and Martin had a bit of trouble pushing through to the front. It had been worth it, though. This close, Martin had to crane his neck to look up at him; the man was much taller than he’d realized. 

“Young man,” he said, leaning over the table and smiling down at him. “I can sense you have an inquisitive mind. Tell me: What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you?” Martin thought on this for a moment, he believed the man was asking him a riddle. It was no small hint that his booth was emblazoned with ‘The Riddler’ across the top. Martin took out his notepad and began writing, intending to tell him that he didn’t know the answer. A hand stopped his.

The man had come out of the booth, and was now crouched in front of him on his heels. Then, in perfect ASL, he said, ‘I apologize if I embarrassed you, I didn’t realize. What’s your name?’ Martin spelled his name, and then gave the man the sign he used for his name. He asked the man for his, putting his pencil away and letting the pad drop. Rather than giving him a sign as well, the man only spelled out Edward.

‘You need a sign name,’ Martin signed. 

‘I don’t have one,’ Edward signed back. 

‘Can I give you one?’ Martin asked. 

‘I’d love that,’ Edward signed, smiling. Martin made a letter E and scratched his head with one finger two times.

‘Is that good?’ Martin asked.

‘It’s great,’ Edward assured him. ‘Are you here alone?’

‘No,’ Martin signed, ‘My father is right over there.’ He turned, but could no longer see him through the crowd. He began to panic. Where had his father gone? Was he looking for Martin? Had he left without him?

“Just a minute, folks,” Edward told the nearby carnival-goers. “This young man has lost his father. Excuse me, I’m sorry.” He took Martin’s hand and walked through the parting crowd. Martin looked around, but there was no sign of his father or the body guards. He began to cry, distraught as only a lost child could become.

“Please don’t cry. I can’t stand to see you cry,” Edward said, letting go of Martin’s hand. He crouched down, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping at Martin’s face. He put the handkerchief away, then signed, ‘Sorry. Please don’t cry.’

‘I can hear,’ Martin signed. 

“Oh,” Edward said. “Well, take a look around again, maybe you just missed him.” Martin couldn’t tell where his father might be, couldn’t identify anything beyond the legs of passers-by. 

“Anything?”

‘No,’ Martin replied. ‘I can’t see.’

“I’ll put you on my shoulders,” Edward said. “Tap my head if you see him.”

‘Okay’, Martin signed. Edward crouched down, and he climbed up onto his shoulders. He stood, holding Martin’s legs. Martin giggled, he’d never been this high up before. Edward began walking through the crowd, and it was near the entrance that Martin saw his father yelling at security. He tapped Edward’s head furiously and pointed.

“At the security booth?” Martin tapped harder. “Alright, alright already. Yikes.”

“Excuse me, sir!” Edward called. “I think I might have something of yours.” His father turned, scowling at them. Martin beamed back at him, smiling widely. Edward walked a little farther and then crouched down, letting Martin climb off and then taking hold of his hand again. He must have noticed Father’s natural ire, because his formerly wide smile had turned tentative. 

“Your son is a great kid,” Edward told him, approaching more cautiously. “He didn’t mean to get lost. Children are just naturally very curious, you know, nothing wrong with that.”

“Of course,” Father said, his eyes narrowing at the stranger. He turned to Martin. “Where did you go?”

‘The puzzle booth,’ Martin signed. ‘You should come see it.’

“I was worried sick,” Father said. “I already called Jim to come help me look for you.”

“I’ll just leave you to it, then,” Edward said. ‘Bye, Martin.’

‘Don’t go yet,’ Martin furiously signed. ‘Father, can Edward have dinner with us?’ 

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Edward said. 

“Martin is right. Would you like to join us for dinner?” Father asked. “Think of it as a gesture of gratitude, if you will.”

“I’d love to,” Edward said, pushing his glasses up with a finger. He extended his hand. “Edward Nygma.”

“Oswald Cobblepot.”

*** 

Martin was excited to have Edward over for dinner, perhaps he could show Martin his trick with the handcuffs. The three of them walked back to Edward’s booth as Oswald put in a call to Jim to inform him of the false alarm. After he’d hung up, the two of them swung Martin between them as they walked, holding his hands. Edward disappeared into his booth and closed it down, emerging in a more subdued green suit than the sequined one (though it was still a very bright green). 

Edward and his father spoke to one another almost exclusively over dinner, and Martin tried not to be offended. They learned that Edward had gone to Gotham University for a computer science degree and dropped out when he realized that ‘corporations’ would own his work. He was doing the carnival gig for now while he worked on software, riddles and puzzles being another love of his. It was about halfway through dinner that Oswald mentioned his aviary, and Edward became very eager to see it. They all walked through it afterwards, Edward pausing to name each species they passed and to share some small knowledge about it with them, which Oswald would always add on to. They walked shoulder to shoulder, his father leaning into Edward as he quietly relayed the methods he’d employed to acquire his birds. Martin already knew that some had been less than legal, but Edward didn’t seem fazed at all by his father’s ways. 

Martin was glad to see them getting along. His father didn’t seem to have many friends, and he liked Edward. Edward could stay. It seemed to dawn on his father after some time that it was past Martin’s bed time, much to Martin’s displeasure. 

“You have school tomorrow,” Oswald said, putting his foot down. “Don’t make me ask again. Say goodnight to Edward.”

‘Goodnight, Edward,’ Martin signed. His held his arms up toward him, indicating that he wanted a hug. Edward crouched down to indulge him, and Martin kissed his cheek. He hoped Edward would come back. When he let go of Edward, he noticed a warm look on his father’s face and decided to take advantage of his good mood.

‘Can Edward come back tomorrow, when I’m done with school?’

“If he’d like to,” Oswald said, turning the question over to Edward.

“I’d love to,” Edward said, though he directed his answer to his father, not Martin. He had a funny look on his face, unlike the other time he’d said that. Martin gave his father a hug and a kiss, and went off to bed. Normally his father would tuck him in, and after some time had passed, Martin began to wonder what was keeping him. He’d already put on his pajamas and brushed his teeth _ages_ ago, and Father was nowhere to be seen. Martin threw off his blankets and went to investigate. 

He checked the aviary, in case Father was feeding the birds. No dice. Then the kitchen, in case he was hungry or having a drink before bed. No luck there either. Finally, he checked the living room. He could see his father and Edward over the back of the couch, the two were sitting very close together. Oswald began leaning closer to Edward, and then he kissed him. Martin stuck his tongue out, wondering why his father had to be so gross. Edward put both hands on Oswald’s face, and Martin lamented that he apparently wasn’t grossed out by kissing either. In fact, he seemed very happy about it, smiling in between the kisses that Oswald gave him.

Oswald pushed Edward backwards on the couch, or maybe Edward leaned back and took Oswald down with him. Martin could not tell. At any rate, they both disappeared behind the back of the couch. It was then that Martin decided he could tuck himself in, just for tonight. His father could make it up to him tomorrow night by letting Edward help. 


End file.
